Reasons for Phoenix’s exit were not revealed but sources said a deal was never made, with one source saying the process never got past the discussion stage.

Talking about secrets, the plot of Shyamalan’s project is also under the veil but it is serving as his follow-up to The Visit, currently in theaters. The horror movie has grossed over $53 million on a budget of $5 million.

Marc Bienstock is also producing the new movie project. Ashwin Rajan and Steven Schneider are on board as exec producers.

McAvoy has become one of the key stars of Fox’s X-Men franchise, along with Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender, and recently wrapped shooting his third entry, X-Men: Apocalypse.

He also has Victor Frankenstein, a revisionist take on the Frankenstein story that co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, awaiting a Nov. 25 release. McAvoy is repped by UTA and United Agents.